STATE OF NEW JERSEY PAYS $1.5 MILLION TO INJURED MOTORCYCLIST DURING TRIAL

Bridgeton, New Jersey. May 2008

The State of New Jersey paid $1.5 million to a motorcyclist injured in a crash with a State Trooper on October 18, 2005. The settlement occurred on May 15, 2008 after three days of trial before the Honorable Martin Herman, JSC in Cumberland County. Louis J. DeVoto of Rossetti & DeVoto, P.C. in Cherry Hill represented the plaintiff. It was alleged that the Trooper

was negligent in crossing an intersection and darted out in front of the plaintiff resulting in the plaintiff broad-siding the troop car. The plaintiff was seriously injured and hospitalized at Cooper Hospital for three weeks. He suffered non-displaced fractures of the ribs and pelvis and his spleen was removed.

The dispute centered largely on the validity and ongoing effects of post-concussive syndrome and plaintiff's ability to be employed. The plaintiff alleged that despite his efforts, he could no longer run his waste removal company and that he lost and would continue to lose substantial personal income as a result. The defendant claimed that the lingering effects of the brain injury had been overstated and that plaintiff could work.

Plaintiff called before and after witnesses who testified about the change in plaintiff's personality and his ineffectiveness and inability to work. Experts also corroborated the lay witness testimony. The plaintiff had yet to testify in the case when it settled.

Attorney for plaintiff:
Louis J. DeVoto
ROSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C.
20 Brace Road, Suite 115
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

Attorneys for Defendant:
Karen M. Campbell, Deputy Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General
State of New Jersey Division of Law
Department of Law and Public Safety
25 Market Street
Post Office Box 116
Trenton, NJ 08625

Plaintiffs experts:
John Gordon, PhD - Neuropsychology
Philadelphia, PA
Robert Wolf - economics and vocational rehabilitation. Cherry Hill, NJ
Gary Goldstein, MD - Orthopedics, internal medicine and plastic surgery. Voorhees, NJ